Tangrams for kids: Educational tips and a printable template

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Tangrams for kids: A learning tool for building STEM skills

Like opens in a new windowedifice blocks, tangrams can teach kids almost opens in a new windowspatial relationships. They may help kids learn geometric terms, and develop stronger problem solving abilities. They might even help children perform better on tests of basic arithmetic.

Only what is a tangram?

Invented in People's republic of china approximately 200 years ago, a tangram is a two-dimensional re-system puzzle created past cutting a foursquare into seven pieces — seven geometric shapes chosen "tans" (Slocum et al 2003).

What are the seven shapes in a tangram? Each tangram puzzle contains the following:

• 2 large correct triangles
• one medium-sized right triangle
• two small right triangles
• one small square
• 1 parallelogram

Bundled correctly, these tangram shapes tin can be fitted together every bit a large square, rectangle, or triangle. They tin also exist arranged in a variety of complex shapes, including fanciful ones (like the rabbit illustrated hither).

In that location are many ways to play with tangrams. The simplest style is to let kids create their ain complex shapes. But traditionally, tangrams are treated as puzzles.

The player is shown a target shape in outline, and then that the "seams" betwixt the composite tans are concealed. And so the role player attempts to recreate the shape using the seven pieces.

In essence, it's an do similar to opens in a new windowstructured cake play, where the challenge is to create an verbal copy of a structure depicted in a diagram. Merely there's a fundamental difference.

In structured block play, the diagram provides yous with explicit, visual information about where each piece goes. In a tangram puzzle, you lot're left to figure that our for yourself.

Every bit noted by Zhen Yuan and his colleagues, solving tangram puzzles appears to activate parts of the encephalon associated with creative thinking and trial-and-error problem-solving (Hu et al 2019).

The educational benefits of tangrams

When we play with tans, nosotros consider the shapes from a variety of angles and perspectives. How would the shapes look if nosotros stuck them together? Rotated them? Slide them effectually into different positions?

Experiments suggest that thinking about such things — visualizing the spatial relationships betwixt shapes in your "mind's eye" — can opens in a new windowheave our visual-spatial skills.

Research hints that information technology can boost arithmetics functioning, likewise. When Yi Ling Cheng and Kelly Mix asked kids, aged vi-8, to perform a series of tangram-like spatial tasks, the practice session seemed to prime the brain for mathematics.

Kids who spent 40 minutes solving shape rotation puzzles performed better on a pencil-and-newspaper arithmetic test immediately thereafter. Compared to tangram-similar activities, crossword puzzle warm-ups had no such effect (Cheng and Mix 2012).

So there is reason to suspect that playing with tangrams has educational benefits, and many educators recommended their use in the classroom (Bohning and Althouse 1997; Krieger 1991; National Council of Teacher's Mathematics 2003; Clements and Sarama 2014).

In particular, these teachers debate that playing with tangrams may assistance kids

• classify shapes
• develop positive feelings almost geometry
• proceeds a stronger grasp of spatial relationships
• develop an agreement of how geometric shapes can be decomposed
• hone spatial rotation skills
• acquire a precise vocabulary for manipulating shapes (e.one thousand., "flip," "rotate")
• learn the significant of congruence

In addition, Tom Scovo demonstrates how tangrams tin aid kids summate areas without formulas. For the details, see these opens in a new windowexcellent activities using tangrams for kids in grades four-half-dozen.

But it'southward not articulate how many of these benefits will ascend if a child plays with tangrams on his or her own, without whatsoever discussion or teamwork.

Studies indicate that spatial play — like playing with tangrams — is especially educational when kids interact with others who use spatial vocabulary.

For example, toddlers tend to develop bigger spatial vocabularies if, during play, their parents expose them to a greater range of spatial words, like "triangle" and "line." As I explain opens in a new windowelsewhere, such kids are besides more likely to develop stronger spatial skills.

So it's likely we can boost the value of tangrams past actively engaging kids in chat. We can innovate them to words they might not know, like "bending" and "parallelogram."

Information technology's likewise likely that kids volition benefit from being asked to make predictions and explain tactics.

Research suggests that kids are more likely to master concepts when opens in a new windowthey explain them to others.What will happen if you rotate the triangle? What volition happen if you flip the parallelogram? How must we motility this shape in order to brand it fit?

If we tin can get children to explicate their ideas, nosotros may help them improve their spatial skills and comprehension of geometry (Lee et al 2009;Clements and Sarama 2014).

So while kids may do good from solitary play with tangrams, some of the best educational experiences may arise from playing with a (talkative) partner.

Whatsoever other teaching tips?

Tangrams offer kids an excellent opportunity to test out dissimilar geometric manipulations, and go familiar with the properties of the shapes they use.

Merely detect the triangles– big, medium, and small — are nevertheless shape. They represent a special kind of right triangle — an isosceles triangle with ii 45-degree angles, and one 90-caste angle. And if you put together ii triangles of the same size, you tin make a square.

These properties aren't found in all triangles. On the contrary! But it'southward easy for children to come to that determination if they don't become exposed to a variety of triangles — equilateral, isosceles, and scalene. So it's important to expose kids to that diverseness, and telephone call their attention to the means in which triangles tin differ (Clement and Sarama 2014).

Getting started: How to brand a tangram

You tin make your ain tangrams past following the opens in a new windowinstructions on Tom Scovo'southward site, or by printing and cutting out the tangram shapes beneath.

If you right-click on the epitome here, you can save it on your computer for press.

Alternatively, later right-clicking, you can open up the image in a new tab, and use your browser's print function.

Looking for more durable tangrams? You tin can purchase some. opens in a new windowArchetype Tangoes includes 2 plastic tangram sets and a deck of puzzle cards. Simply the corners are a bit sharp. For young children, yous might prefer a set of foam tangrams, or even magnetic tangrams, like the ones that come up in the pricey (just kid-friendly) opens in a new windowTangoes Inferior.

Tangrams for young children

My favorite introduction to tangrams for younger kids is the bookThree pigs, i wolf, vii magic shapes by Grace Maccarone. Unfortunately, it's out of impress, but you might exist able to choice upwardly a copy used. Information technology includes story (based on the folk tale of the 3 little pigs), a teaching guide, a set of tangrams to cutting out, and some activities created by a math teacher. Although the publisher recommended this book for kids in grades one-2, the book tin be enjoyed by preschoolers. For another, fanciful story featuring tangrams, see opens in a new windowGrandfather Tang's Story (Dragonfly Books). [Annotation: If you make a buy via these Amazon links, Parenting Science volition receive a modest portion of the auction.]

Virtual tangrams for kids

You might wonder if computer games are as educational as playing with real, physical tangrams. The National Quango of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recommends both.

Co-ordinate to the NCTM, reckoner games may offering special benefits because "the figurer environs is likely to encourage [kids] to think about how they need to manipulate the tangram pieces rather than arroyo the task mainly past trial and fault."

Read more and try out this online game past the opens in a new windowNational Quango of Teachers of Mathematics.

More activities that boost Stem skills

My opens in a new windowthis article I recommend a number of STEM books and learning resources for kids, including some free ones.

For information about the many benefits of structure play, see my commodity, "The benefits of toy blocks."

And if you're specifically interested in structured block play, check out my article, "Can Lego bricks and other construction toys boost your child's Stalk skills?"

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References: Tangrams for kids

Bohning G and Althouse JK. 1997. Using tangrams to teach geometry to young children. Early childhood didactics journal. 24(4): 239-242.

Cheng Y-50 and Mix KS. 2012. Spatial preparation improves children'due south mathematics power. Journal of Cognition and Development. Published online DOI:x.1080/15248372.2012.725186.

Clements D and Sarama J. 2014. Learning and teaching early math: The learning trajectories arroyo. New York, NY: Routledge.

Hu Z, Lam KF, Yuan Z. 2019. Effective Connectivity of the Fronto-Parietal Network during the Tangram Task in a Natural Environs. Neuroscience. 422:202-211.

Kriegler S. 1991. The Tangram: Information technology's More than than an Aboriginal Puzzle. Arithmetic Teacher 38(9) 38-43.

Lee J, Lee JO, and Collins C. 2009. Enhancing children'due south spatial sense using tangrams. Babyhood Education 86(2):92-94.

National Council of Teacher'southward Mathematics. 2003. Developing geometry understandings and spatial skills through puzzlelike problems with tangrams: Tangram challenges. www.nctm.org.

Slocum J, Botermans J, Gebhardt D, Ma Thou, Ma X, Raizer H, Sonnevald D, and Van Splunteren C. 2003. Tangrams: The world's kickoff puzzle craze. Sterling: New York.

Championship image of child's hand'due south manipulating tangrams past Gwen Dewar

Content of "Tangrams for kids" last modified iv/2020

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